What Buyers REALLY Want to See on Your Real Estate Website
What are prospective home buyers looking for when they come to your real estate website? NAR's 2024 Generational Trends Report sheds some light on the matter. The annual survey asked buyers who use the internet which website features they find most useful. Today, we're going to dive into what the research shows. You can use this information when researching new website vendors or evaluating how your current site measures up. Let's dive in! Below are website features that buyers rate as "very useful" during their home search process, ranked from most to least important. Most important More than half of home buyers rated these two features as very useful: Photos - Unsurprisingly, photos are the most desired website feature. Ensure all photos that you upload to the MLS or add to your website are high quality, high definition images. While we recommend hiring a professional for your listing photos, if you're a determined DIYer, check out these tips. (And, if nothing else, step away from the smartphone!) Detailed property information - Buying a home is a big deal, and buyers want to know as much information as they can before making a decision. Fill out every applicable MLS field when adding your latest listing, and don't be afraid to add more info about your listing to your website. Need inspiration for writing property descriptions? See 4 Real Estate Listing Description Examples that Increase Sales, or read ChatGPT Hacks for Real Estate Agents to learn how to leverage AI to craft property descriptions. Important More than 30% of home buyers said the following website features are very useful: Floor plans - The floor plan is having a moment, and many MLSs are offering apps that capture floor plans, like CubiCasa, for free to their members. Additionally, many virtual tour providers include a floor plan in their standard offerings. If you're looking for a floor plan vendor, check out our Product Directory. Agent contact information - We're amused that only 43% of survey respondents said this was very important. To you, the agent, it is 100% important! So make sure that, at minimum, your name, email and phone number are prominently displayed on your website so you never miss a lead. Virtual tours - Today's virtual tours, which are typically 3D walkthroughs of a home, can help buyers with decision making, whether that's the decision to tour a home at all or to decide if it's the right property for their needs. Many virtual tour solutions also offer extra marketing tools you many not know about, and most also include photos and floor plans from one scan, so you get more bang for buck. You can find a virtual tour provider in our Company Directory. Neighborhood info - We love when we come across agent websites with beautiful neighborhood pages. Create a page on your site for each neighborhood you serve and be sure to include information about nearby attractions and schools. Be sure to include a call-to-action to contact you for more information about homes for sale in the area. Less important More than 20% of home buyers rated the following website features are very useful: Recently sold properties - It's one thing to get a listing; it's another thing to close a transaction. Show off homes you've recently sold so buyers can understand your track record of success. If your listings sold faster than the average DOM for your area or for over asking, mention that! Additionally, most MLSs now provide sold data in their IDX feeds, so you can use that to offer recently sold information about your entire local market on your site. Interactive maps - Many IDX website vendors include map search functionality. If you're not sure if yours does, check with your site provider and ask how to turn it on. Videos - While only 21% of buyers said videos were very useful to them on a website, that doesn't mean you should stop producing them! They're still extremely valuable on social media to help drive traffic to your website, and you can highlight the best on your site. Need help creating compelling videos? RPR's Market Trends ScriptWriter can write video scripts for you. Upcoming open houses - Okay, so technically only 19% of buyers overall said information about upcoming open houses were very valuable. But that may be thanks to the oldest generation, which represents only 16% of buyers, bringing down the average. Younger generations care more about this info, with 31% of prime-age (34-43 years old) buyers expressing interest. So don't be shy about adding open house announcements to your website! Take it or leave it The final three real estate website features all ranked under 10% overall: Virtual open houses - A lifesaver during the height of the pandemic, this feature is less important to home buyers now. Virtual listing appointments - See above. Real estate news and articles - Dedicated agent bloggers may be disappointed to see this, but this ranking shouldn't dissuade you from posting. While buyers may not show up explicitly for your blog, consistent content creation still works wonders for SEO and attracting leads. So if you love it, keep going! Next steps Read more articles about real estate websites and Internet Data Exchange (IDX) Explore Website, IDX, and Virtual Office Website (VOW) solutions in our Product Directory.

Real Estate Backlinks: A 2024 Guide
Backlinks are one of the most important ranking factors for search engines. Essentially, backlinks are inbound links to your website from other external sites. The more relevant, high-quality backlinks you have, the higher your site might rank in search results. This article provides valuable information and strategies for real estate agents and brokers to build and optimize backlinks in 2024. Why Backlinks Are Crucial for Real Estate Websites Credibility and Authority Backlinks from authoritative industry sites and influencers establish credibility and authority for real estate websites. The more high-quality backlinks a site has, the higher rank it can get in search engines. Higher Rankings and More Traffic Studies show that the majority of home buyers start their search online, so higher rankings and more traffic mean more opportunities to connect with motivated buyers. Brand Awareness Backlinks also help increase brand awareness for real estate websites. When an authoritative industry publication or influencer links to a real estate agent's website, it exposes the brand to its audience. Referral Traffic High-quality backlinks drive referral traffic to real estate websites. When a site links to a real estate agent's website, visitors to that site may click the link to visit the agent's site. This free referral traffic provides new opportunities to capture leads and make sales. The Best Types of Backlinks for Real Estate Agents High-Quality Directory Links Submitting your website to real estate directories is an easy way to build authoritative backlinks. Look for highly relevant directories, regularly updated, and have a high domain authority. Guest Blogging on Industry Websites Writing guest posts for popular real estate blogs and websites is one of the most effective link-building strategies. Studies show that guest blogging can increase referral traffic and brand awareness in addition to earning high-quality backlinks. Sponsoring Local Events Sponsoring events in your local community, like charity fundraisers, networking mixers, or real estate seminars, provides an opportunity to build relationships and get your name and website in front of new potential clients. Creating Unique and Engaging Content Consistently publishing helpful content on your blog or website, like neighborhood guides, market reports, home tips, or real estate news, builds authority in the eyes of search engines and potential clients. Embed links within your content to pages on your website to improve internal linking. You should also promote your new content on social media to increase backlinks, referral traffic, and brand visibility. Creating a content calendar can help keep you on track. 6 Tips to Build Quality Real Estate Backlinks Focus on High-Value Sites Seek out links from authoritative sites in your industry like national real estate organizations, reputable media publications, and influential blogs. Links from these sites carry more weight with search engines and establish credibility. Build Relationships Develop relationships with other industry leaders by engaging with them on social media, commenting on their blog posts, and promoting their content. When the time comes to ask for a backlink, a pre-existing relationship increases the likelihood of success. Offer to write a guest post or provide an interview in exchange for a link. Reciprocity and mutual benefit are key. Create Linkable Assets Publish high-quality content on your site like blog posts, videos, research reports, and statistics that other sites will want to link to. Content that provides real value to readers and offers a unique perspective is more apt to be linked and shared. Diversify Anchor Text Use a mix of anchor text in backlinks pointing to your site. Over-optimization of anchor text looks unnatural to search engines and can negatively impact rankings. Use your main keyword, brand name, and generic text like "click here" or "read more" as anchor text. Use keyword tracking tools to find the best anchor for your link. Build Internal Links Link to pages on your site to pass authority between pages. This is an easy way to give pages a rankings boost and improve the user experience. When creating content, look for opportunities to link to related evergreen content on your site. Also, make sure your website's URL structure is fine. Monitor New Link Acquisition Track where your backlinks are coming from to ensure link quality. Look for unnatural patterns that could indicate a link scheme and take action to disavow those links. Keeping a close eye on new links helps avoid potential penalties and protects your site's reputation. Review links regularly using SEO tools like Ahrefs, Moz Link Explorer, or Majestic. Monitoring and Maintaining Your Real Estate Backlinks You need to monitor your backlink profile regularly to ensure maximum SEO benefits. It is recommended to check your backlink profile at least once a month. Some of the key things to check include: New backlinks acquired from high-authority domains. These can significantly boost your search rankings and traffic. Check for any broken backlinks and try to get them replaced or removed. Broken backlinks can negatively impact your search rankings. Look for any unnatural backlink patterns. Check the anchor text distribution of your backlinks. The anchor text should appear natural and not over-optimized. Check backlinks from low-quality spammy domains. These provide little to no SEO value. Backlinks from domains with a high page rank but irrelevant content. Although high PR, these links provide no contextual relevance and you might decide to remove them. While backlinks remain crucial for real estate SEO success, focus on serving your audience above all – not just search engines. Provide true value, and the links will follow. With a smart strategy and consistent effort, your backlink profile can become a powerful asset fueling your real estate business in the years ahead. To view the original article, visit the Realtyna blog.

Custom Real Estate Websites by Leading Agent Real Estate Marketing

Leading Agent Real Estate Marketing provides custom real estate websites to agents.  The goals behind these websites are to connect agents with potential clients, collect contact information and provide the means to follow up with these leads. Leading Agent’s websites come with a customized CRM (Customer Relationship Management) and business practice engine to help facilitate lead incubation and management. These tools also can aid an agent in planning out their day to day tasks and goals. Features include: Customized CRM - Gathers information on prospects, translates their actions and makes decisionson what actions need to be taken next.  It also manages day to day business, giving quick lists and reminders of what the agent needs to be doing each day. Unlimited Vanity URL's – Leading Agent allows agents to set up a unique landing page for each specific market they work in Reporting Dashboards- Provides "at a glance", instant statistics on the agent’s marketing efforts, their success Complete Customized Websites – Leading Agent’s team of graphic designers and writers work with the agent to create custom pages MLS Search - MLS Search Engine allows website visitors to enter variables to search the MLS and get real-time, current market and listing information. The search results can be viewed as lists, Google Interactive maps, or even satellite maps Offer Code Capture System – Leading Agent provides variable data code on printed materials and the offer code capture system that is built into every website. This system allows the agent to track marketing effectiveness, track who in their farm is interested in their marketing messages, and also capture their email address, for future electronic marketing follow up. Showcase Listing – The Leading Agent system spotlights the agent’s own listings, showing prospects their activity and giving online visitors a tour of the types of properties the agent represent Blogging Platform - Includes an interactive blogging platform to share thoughts on the market and ideally demonstrate local expertise

SwiftBlog

Dakno Real Estate Marketing’s SwiftBlogs provide real estate agents and brokers with hosted blog sites.  Blogs aid real estate professionals build their online presence and increase the opportunity to grow their business. SwiftBlog was designed to be easy to use and manage all content. Based on the WordPress platform, the SwiftBlog is a quick to launch online tool. SwiftBlog was designed to help agents penetrate the blogosphere easily and effectively. Based on the WordPress platform, SwiftBlog is easy to create and manage, especially for those who have used WordPress in the past.  The WordPress platform allows users to create an unlimited number of posts, pages, and categories.  All posts can be managed by a backend control panel. The Dakno’s SwiftBlog come with the following features: Easy Frame Integration: incorporate a 3rd party MLS search Social Media Integration: Allows readers to quickly forward to a friend or submit to various social networks Anti-Spam Controls: Each blog produced comes with anti-spam controls that minimize the amount of spam your blog receives Expandability: SwiftBlog is built on an open source platform, allowing users to have more control to build up their blog. This includes thousands of plugins, features, and more (including things like vlogs, podcasting, etc.) Search Engine Optimization: All blogs are optimized for maximum visibility in search engines SwiftBlogs are quick to produce. Project turnaround is normally 10 to 15 business days Clients have the chance to optimize SwiftBlog with customized add-ons for greater SEO Users can sign-up to attend a Blogging Boot Camp for the latest tips and tricks of the blogging trade SwiftBlog is an interactive online tool designed to position users as the real estate expert and trusted advisor in your market. Dakno Real Estate Marketing gives each client two hours of blog design time to create a unique design created by Dakno's graphic artists. Users send Dakno designers various branding elements and header image(s) to help brand the blog to their business.

One-to-One Marketing by Terabitz

Terabitz’ One-to-One system allows real estate professionals to market to sellers by giving them useful information. This system provides an agent with the ability to provide a unique websites to each homeowner they are working with. One-to-One marketing was designed to give branding and value through online technology. The One-to-One system creates a unique website for every homeowner in the real estate agent’s farm containing: A valuation of their home Recent solds in their neighborhood, displayed on a map Active and pending listings in their neighborhood An equity calculator An online Q&A forum for agent to consumer discussion Each prospect receives their home’s website via email or through a postcard campaign. The information on the site updates every time they visit. The real estate agent’s brand and contact information is prominently displayed.  

Properties Online Adds New Real Estate Trends Feature to Its Award-Winning Real Estate Website Builder
Properties Online, Inc. has launched a new module for their website builder, RealEstateSites.com, that will enable agents to build market trend reports for their local area. Santa Rosa, CA, June 07, 2022 -- Knowing what is happening in today's real estate market is critical to both home buyers and sellers. Market trends can let homeowners know if they are headed into a slowdown, and help an agent set reasonable expectations. To that end, Properties Online, Inc. has launched a new module for their website builder, RealEstateSites.com, that will enable agents to build market trend reports for their local area. Real estate professionals can create a trend report based off a zip code, a metro area, a county, a state or you can create a national trend report. Additionally, the agent can compare their primary market with other markets. For example, an a­gent can build a market trend for Sonoma, CA, and compare it to the County of Sonoma, as well as the State of California. What's great is the information will automatically update each month and show statistics from the previous month so the trend report is always current. "We are thrilled to be able to add this feature to our current list of added value items at no additional cost to our clients," says Amanda Cornelius, founder and CEO of Properties Online, Inc. "We have a several new features we hope to launch later this year to help agents capture more leads while serving their clients using our products and services." Market data is pulled from Realtor.com real estate data library and is based on the most comprehensive and accurate database of MLS-listed for-sale homes in the industry. We aggregate and analyze data from hundreds of sources and produce hundreds of metrics for multiple markets, and curate figures and trends where possible for reliability and comparability. Additional tools included with the website solution from RealEstateSites.com include: Single Property Websites Listing Videos Lead Capture Landing Pages Social Sharing Tools Video Content Buyers and Sellers Reports Unlimited Pages Optional UserWay's Accessibility Widget View the new market trends report pages here. About Properties Online, Inc. Founded in 2001, Properties Online is dedicated to helping real estate professionals grow their businesses by offering innovative and invaluable technology tools. The company's web-based software products include, ListingDomains.com, ListingsUnlimited.com, RealEstateSites.com, PropertiesOnline.com, and TextAnnounce.com. Their products are used by more than 100,000 real estate professionals nationwide.

Pro Agent Solutions
Since 2007, Pro Agent Solutions has helped agents and brokers sell more homes with our cloud-based software products. We offer a fully integrated solution for individual agents and teams. Our products are also sold individually so you can choose what you need. Digital Flyer is a lead generation, sign rider texting application for curbside leads. Prospective buyers receive a text reply with information they requested on a property. The listing agent simultaneously gets a text and email notifying them they have a lead. Showing Pro - Scheduler is for scheduling showings with automated text and email confirmations and reminders.  Showing Pro - Feedback sends out automated feedback requests after showings so busy agents don’t have to spend precious time tracking down buyers’ agents for seller feedback. CRM manages contacts, appointments, closings and tracks email clicks and opens. It comes with pre-programmed drip campaigns and 100+ pre-written marketing emails to send to buyers and sellers.

iHOUSEweb, Inc.
For over 10 years, iHOUSEweb has combined real estate experience with cutting-edge technology. We were one of the first companies to offer customizable website templates for agents to create a unique web presence without any technical expertise. Now an industry leader, iHOUSEweb products, IT infrastructure and customer service are trusted by over 30,000 real estate professionals nationwide.

Market Leader, Inc
Market Leader (NASDAQ: LEDR) provides real estate professionals with innovative marketing and technology solutions that enable them to grow and manage their business. Founded in 1999 by a second-generation real estate agent, Market Leader provides real estate agents, agent teams, and brokerage companies with subscription software and advertising products that enable them to generate a steady stream of prospects, as well as the tools and training they need to convert these prospects into clients. With a long history of innovation, Market Leader pioneered online lead generation for real estate professionals a decade ago and today is the leading marketing partner to the real estate industry. The company also provides consumers with free access to the information and tools they need throughout the home  buying and selling process through its national consumer real estate sites. These websites enable Market Leader to provide its customers with access to millions of future home buyers and sellers while providing these consumers with free access to the information they seek throughout the home buying and selling process.

Properties Online, Inc.
At Properties Online, we are dedicated to helping real estate professionals grow their business by offering innovative and invaluable technology tools with a smile. Our products and services empower agents to efficiently expand their business while generating more traffic and leads. Our web based software is extremely easy to use and makes building a website, flyer or widget simple and fun. Test drive our products free by creating a user account at ListingDomains.com or RealEstateSites.com